Savoia-Marchetti p.62
| Savoia-Marchetti p.62 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Flying boat |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1926 |
| Number of pieces: |
<100 |
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.62 was a flying boat made by the Italian manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti in the mid-1920s. The aircraft was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, bomber and also for civil purposes. The SM.62 was exported to more than eight countries, with the USSR and Spain producing the SM.62 under license from 1932.
history
The prototype of the SM.62 was tested for the first time in 1926 with the Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 engine with 510 HP, which acted on a pusher propeller . After the Regia Aeronautica's requests for improvement , such as a second gunner and a higher payload, had been implemented, the machine was first introduced into reconnaissance squadrons. An improved version SM.62bis was then equipped with an Isotta Fraschini POA 1 Asso 750 engine with 750 HP and went into series production. The SM.62bis was exported to Portugal, Argentina, Romania, Greece and Turkey.
In 1928 Savoia-Marchetti built a small number of 29 civilian flying boats with the designation SM.62P, some of them with a closed cabin for the crew and four passengers. The USSR acquired a license for the SM.62 in 1930 and manufactured 22 copies under the designation MDB-4 from 1933. These were mainly used over the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. However, the MDB-4 had problems with the tank that could not be fully used. The machines were passed on to the flight school in Sevastopol in 1936 .
The US purchased some MDB-4s for their coastal defense, which were replaced by the Consolidated PBY Catalina. Spain produced a total of 25 SM.62bis, which were used for maritime reconnaissance and as a liaison aircraft. In the Spanish Civil War , the machines were used by the Republican Air Force as bombers and maritime patrols. Japan bought an SM.62bis in 1932 and tested this version as a liaison and water transport aircraft.
construction
The SM.62 similar in structural design and in drive technology of S.58 . The improvements that were introduced in the previous models from S.56 to S.59 have already been incorporated into the initial draft. As with its predecessors, the wings were reinforced and the engine was mounted above the fuselage on a frame made of aerodynamically clad pipes. It is worth mentioning the improved tail unit and ailerons on the upper wing.
The outer skin of the SM.62bis consisted of 4 mm thick plywood, which was reinforced with 4 to 90 mm thick plywood strips and copper rivets at particularly stressed areas. A three-layer, impregnated canvas was put in between the hull and the reinforcements to ensure the tightness. A waterproof varnish was used above the waterline to ensure tightness. The wings of the SM.62bis were made of wood, which was reinforced with steel at the exposed areas. The SM-62bis had the option of being equipped with a wheel chassis. The MDB-4 version, manufactured in the USSR, was flown with a skid undercarriage in winter.
The first SM.62 manufactured in Italy were still equipped with the Isotta Fraschini Asso engine with 510 HP. The SM.62bis had an Isotta Fraschini Asso engine with 750 hp and the Spanish version of the SM.62bis flew with a Hispano-Suiza 12-liter engine with 600 hp. The SM.62bis had five fuselage fuel tanks, the fuel was divided in such a way that each of the tanks could fail without the flight capability of the SM.62 being affected.
The armament of the Italian SM.62bis were two Breda 7.7 mm machine guns, which were operated by the navigator and mechanic. All SM.62bis could carry up to eight 50 kg bombs. The Romanian and Japanese SM.62bis had Vickers machine guns (.303) and the USSR version had two SKAS 7.7 mm machine guns.
Users
Technical specifications
| Parameter | SM.62bis | MDB-4 |
|---|---|---|
| country | Italy / Spain | USSR |
| Construction year | 1930 | 1933 |
| crew | 3 military 2 pilots and 4 civilian passengers |
3 |
| length | 12.26 m | |
| span | 16.6 m | |
| height | 4.19 m | |
| Wing area | 69.62 m² | |
| Wing loading | 59 kg / m² | 62 kg / m² |
| Power to weight ratio | 5.5 kg / hp | 5.7 kg / hp |
| Empty mass | 2640 kg | 2840 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 4100 kg | 4300 kg |
| drive | an Isotta Fraschini Asso with 750 HP | |
| Cruising speed | 180 km / h | |
| Top speed | 225 km / h | 220 km / h |
| Landing speed | 90 km / h | |
| Summit height | 4000 m | 4300 m |
| Max. Flight duration | 4 h | |
| Range | 920 km | 900 km |
| Armament | two 7.7 mm Breda MGs (.303in) up to eight 50 kg bombs |
two 7.7 mm SKAS MGs up to eight 50 kg bombs |
Versions
| version | description | Construction year |
|---|---|---|
| SM.62 prototype | A prototype with an Isotta Fraschini Asso engine with 510 HP | 1926 |
| SM.62 | first military series with an Isotta Fraschini Asso engine with 510 HP | 1926 |
| SM.62bis | improved military version with an Isotta Fraschini Asso engine with 750 HP | 1927 |
| SM.62 to Spain | Spanish license production of the SM.62bis with a Hispano-Suiza 12-L engine with 600 HP |
1930 |
| SM.62P | Civil version with closed cabin for two pilots and four passengers | 1928 |
| MDB-4 | License version of the SM.62 produced by the USSR, with an Isotta Fraschini Asso engine with 750 HP |
1933 |
literature
- Savoia-Marchetti p.62 . In: AERO - the illustrated collective work of aviation , issue 139, 1986, p. 3888
- David Donald (Ed.): The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft . Aerospace Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-85605-375-X .
photos
- SM.62bis on airwar.ru
- SM.62bis airwar.ru
- MDB-4 picture on ctrl-c.liu.se
- Sketch of the SM.62bis on airwar.ru
Web links
- The Savoia SM-62bis with photo (Russian)
- Documentation of the MDB-4 with pictures (English)